The cards will be back in the air at noon local time for Day 1b of the $5,300 Main Event at the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party, where another wave of hopefuls will take their shot at poker glory inside the dazzling Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa.
Following the same format as Day 1a, players will navigate 12 levels—the first ten lasting 40 minutes, followed by two longer 50-minute levels—as they try to survive and stack chips for Day 2.
With a $5,000,000 guaranteed prize pool up for grabs, the pressure is on to build a bag and avoid the turbo flights still to come. Yesterday’s Day 1a saw 227 entries whittled down to 57 survivors, led by Russia’s Aren Bezhanyan, who set the early pace with a towering 4,245,000 chip stack.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|
| 1 | Aren Bezhanyan | Armenia | 4,245,000 | 142 |
| 2 | Ivan Govorov | Russian Federation | 2,595,000 | 87 |
| 3 | Nikolay Ivanov | Bulgaria | 2,570,000 | 86 |
| 4 | Sarkis Akopyan | Russian Federation | 2,300,000 | 77 |
| 5 | Antonio Alfaia | Portugal | 2,285,000 | 76 |
| 6 | Atanas Pavlov | Bulgaria | 2,260,000 | 75 |
| 7 | Seyed Fazeli | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 2,065,000 | 69 |
| 8 | Aytekin Yayla | Turkey | 1,965,000 | 66 |
| 9 | Nikos Lampropoulos | Cyprus | 1,950,000 | 65 |
| 10 | Aliaksandr Hirs | Belarus | 1,885,000 | 63 |
Joining Bezhanyan at the top of the leaderboard are the likes of Ivan Govorov (2,595,000) and Nikolay Ivanov (2,570,000), both within striking distance should Bezhanyan falter. Bulgaria’s Atanas Pavlov (2,260,000), Portugal’s Antonio Alfaia (2,285,000), and Iran’s Seyed Fazeli (2,065,000) also made strong Day 1a impressions, putting themselves in prime position heading into Day 2.
Remaining Schedule
| Day | Date | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|
| Day 1b | May 9 | 12:00 p.m. | 40 minutes (10 levels) + 50 minutes (2 levels) |
| Day 1c | May 10 | 12:00 p.m. | 40 minutes (10 levels) + 50 minutes (2 levels) |
| Day 1d | May 10 | 9:00 p.m. | 20 minutes |
| Day 1e | May 11 | 12:00 p.m. | 20 minutes |
| Day 2 | May 11 | 5:00 p.m. | 50 minutes |
| Day 3 | May 12 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| Final Day | May 13 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
¹Final table levels decrease as players are eliminated: 8 players = 60 min, 7 = 55 min, 6 = 50 min, 5 = 45 min, 4 = 40 min, 3 = 35 min, 2 = 30 min.
Will anyone today be able to challenge Bezhanyan’s benchmark? Stick with PokerNews for full coverage from the floor, including chip counts, big pots, and key storylines as Day 1b gets underway.
Tags:
Aren BezhanyanNikos LampropoulosAntonio AlfaiaAliaksandr HirsAtanas PavlovAytekin YaylaNikolay IvanovIvan GovorovSarkis AkopyanSeyed Fazeli
